kbbride

Quote: Originally Posted by dearmaya KBbride, Thank you sooo much for all of this information! It has been super helpful. My WC is also Claudia and so far she has been great, but after about your experience I feel so good about everything. I just wrote her and asker her about the Coral Grill. How large was your wedding? We were only expecting 30 so I dont want us to be in too large of a room, but I just love the way that the Coral Grill looks in thh pictues!! I looked at your pictures and I couldnt tell if the grill was outdoors, had open air, was completely enclosed(with no windows), or just had big windows that were kept closed. Also, did you have a DJ? Did they have an IPOD dock? I think we MIGHT pay for an extra hour or two of open bar, but we figured that we would then just take the party to the lounge or the club. Last question, I saw that you all had pictures up on a screen, did they provide everything (other than the CD with the pictures) that was needed? I loved it!! Thank you sooo much! Sincerely Dearmaya!!! You will love Claudia! We had a total of 42 people. The grill is huge, but we were only in one half of it. They arranged the tables in a way that really closed the room in, so it didn't seem too large at all. I think it will be fine with 30 people. The grill wasn't as open as I expected. It is not as open as the other grills because it is supposed to be nicer. There are huge windows all around the building that can open up. They are huge sliding windows, I'm sure you could have them as open or as closed as you want. I'm not sure how open our windows were, I didn't even notice. We did not have a dj. We used our own ipod on a dock, Claudia stood by it and turned the volume down for toasts, or put on our special songs such as our first dance. I liked having the ipod, because I could go over and change the music as I wanted. Our reception did seem a bit short, and Claudia told us we could keep it going for an extra hour, for $10 per person. So another $420.00, but since we had done the cocktail hour prior we decided to move our party to the Carey Bar upstairs. It is a laid back lounge, where we went every night. It was a fun bar with a piano, and plenty of room for everyone. Afterwards, my wedding party headed to the disco, they had a blast. They said it was pretty cheesy, but super fun! I created the slideshow and gave to Claudia to play. I told her I when to play it, and everything went perfectly. The audio/visual equipment is an additional cost of $420.00. We played the slideshow at the beginning of the reception, and after it was over, we turned the sound down and just let the pictures play while we ate dinner. If you want to take a look at my slideshow, its on our wedding web site. www.keelyandlee.com You can find it under the wedding slideshow page. Part of what I do is making wedding slideshows and wedding websites, so if you're interested let me know. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!

Quote: Originally Posted by harv0136 Thank you KBBride! This is so helpful! Who did your pictures, did you have an outside photographer? Do you have some we could check out? Also, where did you find the picture of your yupa? I've been looking online but haven't found a great one. Thank you! My photographer was Matt May. There is some info about him in the above post. His web site is Welcome to Matt May Photography - San Francisco, California To view my galleries: Go to Welcome to Matt May Photography - San Francisco, California Click on "The People / The Events" Click on "The Proofs" and enter one of these two passwords: Wedding: Muse1 Trash The Dress: Muse2 Note the password ARE case sensitive. If the site gives you trouble, usually a page reload will fix it. I found 1 on this forum that I liked, and then I found one in a bridal magazine. If you like mine, I can send you a picture for you to show your WC. She should know what you are talking about, even without a picture, but I would be happy to send you one. When I showed her mine, she said they had done one the day before just like it. She knew exactly what to do.

Quote: Originally Posted by beachhappy KBBride-Your pictures are great! I sent Matt an email. How did you find out about him and how many days did he spend with you? I am interested in where you got your centerpieces too...thanks Sorry I didn't see your post earlier when I responded to the others. I actually found Matt on this forum. Another bride suggested him. He is amazing and up for anything, you won't be disappointed. They got there on Friday, the day before the wedding. They came to our welcome dinner and ate with us, and snapped a few pics. Matt and Suzanne, spent all day with us on the wedding day. I did a small shoot with my bridesmaids the morning of the wedding, then there was the hair appointment, and getting ready; they were both there for all of that. A couple hours before the ceremony, Suzanne left to take pictures of the Groom and the Groomsmen. They took pics all through the ceremony, and they stayed for the entire cocktail hour and reception. About 12 hours of photography in one day, we definitely put them to work. They even offered to go with us to the disco after, but we told them they had done enough for one day, and probably needed to get some rest. The day after we did the fun pics in the ocean and in the pool. We spent over 3 hours taking pics. They were open to any suggestions we had, and we all had a great time. They left Monday morning, so they stayed at total of 3 nights. I email Claudia about the centerpieces before I arrived. I told her that I wanted a simple vase, with sand and a candle. When I met with her for our meeting she had it set up for me to look at. She added the shells and everything. The centerpieces were extra, $20 per table.

Quote: Originally Posted by JCrosby Your pictures are SO gorgeous! What an amazing job your photographer did!! Can I ask you what type of dress you're wearing - it's stunning! Our BMs are also wearing black and we're still in the process of choosing the resort (deciding between Dreams Tulum, Bahia Principe, Barcelo & Ocean Turquesa) but I have to say that after seeing your pics, we're both leaning towards the Barcelo. Did all of your guests have to stay at the Palace or did you two just stay there? Thanks in advance! Thanks! My dress was Maggie Sottero. The guests don't have to stay at the Palace, but all of my guests did. If your guests don't stay at the Palace, they can still attend your wedding and reception with no problems. But they won't be able to eat at the Palace Buffet, Bars or Grill during there stay. I would definitely suggest Barcelo!

"Where did you hold your reception? It is exactly what I have in mind for my reception!!" "I loved your beach location and reception location. Where were they at?" 1. Ceremony Location: We had our ceremony on the beach in front of the gazebo. Claudia offered us another more private location, but the water level was down, so the scenery wasn't as pretty. There were a bunch of rocks, and the sand wasn't as nice. It wasn't a problem at all. They moved the chairs out of the way, and it was perfect. There are not as many people on the Palace end of the beach anyway, so I didn't feel like there were a bunch of outside people watching. There were a few though, and they took pictures and video of the whole thing... but I didn't even notice them until we were walking back up the aisle. 2. Cocktail Hour: We had a cocktail hour on the terrace which overlooks the Coral Grill and the gazebo. It was awesome, the view was great; and it gave everyone something to do while we took all of our pictures. 3. Reception: We had our reception at the Coral Grill, which is the grill at the Palace. It is definitely the nicest of all the grills. I would recommend using this grill, especially if you are getting married on the Palace beach. It is much closer than the other grills. "What did you think of the Barcelo? Were you happy with it?" 1. I loved the Barcelo Resort! I could not have been happier. It is a great resort, especially if you are bringing a big group of people. We had 40 guests, and we mostly stayed with in the Palace area the entire time. We would venture over to the Tropical some, because the sand volley ball court is in front of the Tropical Grill and Bar. There is so much to do, you could stay there 2 weeks and not get bored. The resort if pretty big so we picked a meeting place, The Coco Bar, to meet at every night around 5 or 6. We would have drinks with everyone for an hour or so and then head off to dinner. Oh, this is important! You will get tired of eating at the buffet, I promise. And all the a la carte restaurants require a 24 hour in advance reservation. When you get there, make a reservation for every night you are there. Its easy when you just have to make it for 2, but it did get harder when we tried to include everyone. We made a reservation at the Caribbean Restaurant one night for 20 at 6:00 and 20 at 6:30. They ended up putting all of us on the balcony, so we were all together anyway. The night before the wedding, I went in to the buffet before they opened and talked to manager about blocking of a group of tables for 40 people. It wasn't a big deal at all. We got there shortly after they opened and everything was great. "Also, did you make your table centerpieces or did they have them at the Barcelo?" - Barcelo did the centerpieces for me. I told Claudia what I was looking for before I got there, and when I went in for my meeting with her she had it already set up so I could see if I liked it or not. They cost $20.00 a piece. Also, we had to pay for the centerpieces in cash before the day of the wedding, which we didn't know about so we had to pull extra money out of the ATM. It wasn't a huge deal, but we just wished we would have known so we could have planned for it. So just make sure you know if you have to pay for anything in cash or not. "Did they set up the ceremony site with the white netting or did you do that?" - Barcelo set up everything, but I requested the yupa. The yupa is an extra $396.00 with flowers, but I didn't have flowers so mine was $240. I brought her a picture of one that I had seen in a magazine and they copied it exactly. If you see something you like, bring pictures and they are really good about doing exactly what is in the picture. "What time was your ceremony at, did you feel like you had enough time for pictures before the sunset?" - My ceremony time was at 4:00, but I don't think it actually started until around 4:20. The one thing you will learn in Mexico, is that when you have a set time to do something, its just an estimate... nothing happens on time. The sunset in January is around 5:30, but you have until around 6:15 until it starts getting too dark for pictures. I would have liked to have a little more time, because I felt we were a bit rushed... but if we would have started on time, it probably wouldn't have been an issue. But I wasn't too upset because I knew my husband and I were doing a "Day After" shoot the next day, so i would get all the pictures of me and him that I wanted. I would suggest having your ceremony at 3 or 4, but no later than 4 if you want good sunset pictures. "How was the weather that week?" - Our weather was pretty good. It was very nice during the day, but a few of the days it would start to get cloudy in the afternoons. Once 2:00 hit the clouds would roll in, and the wind would pick up a bit. The day we got married and the day before it was perfect. It only rained once while we were there, but it poured all day. The resort is good about having rainy day activities, they do bingo and pottery painting. We had an excursion that day, so we didn't miss out on anything. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!

For the table and chair linens we used white on white. They have a few different colors, but the choices aren't that extensive. They offered a aqua blue, white, cream, coral, and a couple different shades of red. I think there are more options that you can pay for, but I never saw them because I wanted white on white. I would double check with your WC.

Someone on this forum recommended the photographers that I chose, and I could not be happier with the pics, so I want to spread the word. Photography was the most important aspect for me. I didn't care as much about the dress or the place, but I wanted to have amazing pictures that I could have for the rest of my life. Matt and Suzanne gave me this and so much more, their pictures are amazing and I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for a photographer. And their prices aren't bad either! Check out their web site: Welcome to Matt May Photography - San Francisco, California

I got married at the Barcelo Palace in January. It was perfect. I could not have asked for a better day. If you have any questions let me know. I know I had a million before I went. Also, someone asked about the photographers... I don't have any experience with the resort photographers. I brought one of my own. Here is their link if you are interested: Welcome to Matt May Photography - San Francisco, California Also, if you want to see my photographs follow the instructions below! To view the galleries: Welcome to Matt May Photography - San Francisco, California Click on "The People / The Events" Click on "The Proofs" and enter one of these two passwords: Wedding: Muse1 Trash The Dress: Muse2 Note the password ARE case sensitive. If the site gives you trouble, usually a page reload will fix it.

I got married at the Barcelo Palace in January. It was perfect. I could not have asked for a better day. If you have any questions let me know. I know I had a million before I went. Also, someone asked about the photographers... I don't have any experience with the resort photographers. I brought one of my own. Here is their link if you are interested: Welcome to Matt May Photography - San Francisco, California Also, if you want to see my photographs follow the instructions below! To view the galleries: Welcome to Matt May Photography - San Francisco, California Click on "The People / The Events" Click on "The Proofs" and enter one of these two passwords: Wedding: Muse1 Trash The Dress: Muse2 Note the password ARE case sensitive. If the site gives you trouble, usually a page reload will fix it.

Quote: Originally Posted by Maegan606 Oh yea-- and does anyone have any info on the resorts photographer/s? I would love to see their work, or hear about anye xperiences people have had with their photographer. Trying to decide if i need to "sneak" one in! I got married at the Palace in January. I don't have any experience with the resort photographers. I brought one of my own. You don't have to sneak them in, they don't care at all. My photographers went everywhere with me, but they were also staying at the resort. Here is their link if you are interested: Welcome to Matt May Photography - San Francisco, California Also, if you want to see my photographs follow the instructions below! To view the galleries: Go to Welcome to Matt May Photography - San Francisco, California Click on "The People / The Events" Click on "The Proofs" and enter one of these two passwords: Wedding: Muse1 Trash The Dress: Muse2 Note the password ARE case sensitive. If the site gives you trouble, usually a page reload will fix it.

Welcome to the forum! I just got married at the Palace on January 24. It was amazing. If you have any questions let me know!

Does anyone have any information on the prices for the fire dancers?

Hi Katie! I am getting married at Barcelo Maya on Jan 24. Any information you can get while you're there would be great! I would love to see reception sites! I hope you have a great trip.

Hi Suzanne! Welcome to the forum. I know how frustrating it is to find a place... I was so happy when we finally decided on Barcelo. I am getting married there on January 24, 2009... I will try to answer your questions as best I can, but hopefully you will get some answers from some brides that have already been married there. "Which Barcelo property is the best and which package did you choose and why?" - The Palace resort is the newest resort on the property and we have heard that it is the nicest. We heard there is a steak buffet, and top shelf liquor is included in the all inclusive package. Also, there is an adults only pool, and the rooms are bigger and nicer. - The Tropical/Colonial Hotels are a step below the Palace. - The Beach/Caribe are the oldest hotels on the property. We chose the Ocean Scents package, because we wanted to do have our reception beach front or in one of the open air grills. And we are expecting quite a few people, and the package included 15 people and Under the Stars included 10. "Any thoughts about the beach dinner vs. the banquet hall?" We thought about doing the beach dinner, but then we found out January is their windy season, and sand in our food didn't sound too great to us. We decided on doing a cocktail hour on the beach, and then heading in to the reception. We are having the reception in an open air grill. "Does anyone know how the food is and what food is served with the packages?" I received a copy of the food packages from another Bride on the Forum...as far as I know, it is up to date. SET UP MENUS Menu # 1 Yellow fin tuna carpaccio Cream of asparagus sauce Guava sherbet with Mezcal Surf & Turf (Beef tenderloin with lobster tail) Luke warm half baked dark chocolate fondant Coffee, petit fours Menu # 2 Sea scallops salad with lime vinaigrette Lobster bisque Lemon sherbet with vodka Beef tenderloin Wellington Crème brûlée Coffee, petit fours Menu # 3 Homemade rabbit terrine Coquille Saint Jacques with saffron cream sauce Melon sherbet with dry Sherry Fillet of fresh salmon with dill Stracciatella parfait with caramel sauce Coffee, petit fours Menu # 4 Beef carpaccio with green peppercorn sauce Consommé Célestine Champagne sherbet Roast rack of lamb with rosemary Caribbean pineapple & coconut cake Coffee, petit fours Vegetarian menu Tomato salad with goat cheese & pesto dressing Cream of carrot soup Sherbet Vegetable strudel with red pepper sauce Dessert Coffee, petit fours N.B: Some dishes are subject to season or market availability, and number of guests in party "How is their photographer?" I do not have any information about their photographer, because we will be bringing our own. Sorry. "And does anyone have any pics?" If you go to our wedding website, www.keelyandlee.com Then click on the Travel & Accommodations link at the top On the left hand side in white, it says, "Click here to view pictures of the resort." Click there and you will find a bunch of pictures I have taken from different Web sites. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have anymore questions!

Does anyone have any information on the spa prices at the resort? I wanted to get pedicures and manicure for my bridal party, but I was wondering on the prices. If you have any information I would appreciate it! Thanks!